Bob Gillespie[_2_];817350']Hi,
Live in northeast Florida and basically have sand for my soil. Put down
several bags of compost to form a hill, planted watermelon seed, and
expected with fertilizer to reap a bountiful harvest. Getting a few
watermelons but some of them seem to develop rot from laying on the sand and
the scrap grass. Should I have put down some weed inhibiting layer before
the watermelons started to grow and keep them on the material after they
sprouted?
Bob[/quote]


One thing I learned is that watermelons are incredibly drought tolerant. Giving them a lot of water makes them weaker. They store water 'coz they originate from a water deprived climate. Maybe they rotted because they were given a little too much love and care?.Hope this helps. ad.

QUOTE='Bob Gillespie[_2_];817350']Hi,
Live in northeast Florida and basically have sand for my soil. Put down
several bags of compost to form a hill, planted watermelon seed, and
expected with fertilizer to reap a bountiful harvest. Getting a few
watermelons but some of them seem to develop rot from laying on the sand and
the scrap grass. Should I have put down some weed inhibiting layer before
the watermelons started to grow and keep them on the material after they
sprouted?
Bob[/quote]